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2024 Best Schools for the Money (With Aid) in California for Master's Degrees

70 Colleges

It's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard. A school that typically has a high sticker price may actually be very affordable, depending on how much need-based financial aid you receive.

See What's Included in This Value Report:

Finding Your Best College Match

We analyzed 70 schools across California to determine which have the best value Master's Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.

Our Methodology

When determining the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking, we first look at its average net price, which is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.

To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.

More Rankings to View

Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.

Without Aid Best Value Master's Degrees
With Aid (Income $0-$30k) Best Value Master's Degrees
With Aid (Income $30-$48k) Best Value Master's Degrees
With Aid (Income $48-$75k) Best Value Master's Degrees
With Aid (Income $75-$110k) Best Value Master's Degrees
With Aid (Income Over $110k) Best Value Master's Degrees
Want to see the list of best value schools for families with specific income levels or whether or not aid is being applied? Click on one of the tiles above. You may also want to narrow this list by location to find the best value schools nearest you. Also, you may want to check out our other college rankings.

If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.

Best Value Master's Degree Schools (With Aid) in California

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Our 2024 rankings named Stanford University the best value (with aid) school in California for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Stanford, California, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.

Not only is Stanford University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in California for overall quality.

Full Stanford University Value Report

2

A rank of #2 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Los Angeles, California, the school is a large public institution.

Not only is University of California - Los Angeles a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in California for overall quality.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Value Report

3

The quality degree programs at California State University - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Los Angeles is ranked #56 for quality in the state of California.

Learn More About Value at California State University - Los Angeles

4
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

A rank of #4 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list means San Diego State University is a great place for students working on their degree. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.

Not only is San Diego State University a great value, but it is also ranked #32 in California for overall quality.

Full San Diego State University Value Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - San Bernardino. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - San Bernardino is ranked #62 for quality in the state of California.

Full California State University - San Bernardino Value Report

6
National University crest
National University
La Jolla, California

With a ranking of #6, National University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, National University is ranked #17 for quality in the state of California.

Read full value report on National University

7

California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California.

California State University - Fullerton has the honor of being ranked #54 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.

Full California State University - Fullerton Value Report

8

University of California - Berkeley landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. This large public school is located in Berkeley, California.

University of California - Berkeley has the honor of being ranked #4 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.

Learn More About Value at University of California - Berkeley

9

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. Located in Carson, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.

California State University - Dominguez Hills has the honor of being ranked #65 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.

Read full value report on California State University - Dominguez Hills

10

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking, coming in at #10. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Irvine is ranked #14 for quality in the state of California.

Learn More About Value at University of California - Irvine

11

California State University - Fresno ranked #11 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.

California State University - Fresno has the honor of being ranked #55 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.

Read full value report on California State University - Fresno

12

University of California - San Diego came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - San Diego is ranked #7 for quality in the state of California.

Full University of California - San Diego Value Report

13

California State University - Long Beach landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school located in Long Beach, California.

Not only is California State University - Long Beach a great value, but it is also ranked #38 in California for overall quality.

Learn More About Value at California State University - Long Beach

14

California State University - Northridge came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. Located in Northridge, California, the school is a large public institution.

California State University - Northridge has the honor of being ranked #45 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.

Read full value report on California State University - Northridge

15

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking, coming in at #15. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Sacramento is ranked #52 for quality in the state of California.

Full California State University - Sacramento Value Report

16

California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. Located in Seaside, California, the school is a medium-sized public institution.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Monterey Bay is ranked #71 for quality in the state of California.

Learn More About Value at California State University - Monterey Bay

17

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #17 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Located in Bakersfield, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Bakersfield is ranked #63 for quality in the state of California.

Read full value report on California State University - Bakersfield

18

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.

California State University - Stanislaus has the honor of being ranked #72 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.

Read full value report on California State University - Stanislaus

19
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Rohnert Park, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.

Not only is Sonoma State University a great value, but it is also ranked #77 in California for overall quality.

Read full value report on Sonoma State University

20
USU crest
United States University
San Diego, California

United States University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking, coming in at #20. USU is a private for-profit institution located in San Diego, California.

United States University has the honor of being ranked #30 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.

Read full value report on United States University

21
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

With a ranking of #21, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.

San Jose State University has the honor of being ranked #24 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.

Learn More About Value at San Jose State University

22

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #22 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school located in Santa Barbara, California.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Santa Barbara is ranked #11 for quality in the state of California.

Learn More About Value at University of California - Santa Barbara

23

With a ranking of #23, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Located in Davis, California, the school is a large public institution.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Davis is ranked #13 for quality in the state of California.

Read full value report on University of California - Davis

24

With a ranking of #24, Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Located in Stockton, California, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses is ranked #81 for quality in the state of California.

Read full value report on Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses

25

University of California - Riverside landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. This large public school is located in Riverside, California.

University of California - Riverside has the honor of being ranked #46 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.

Full University of California - Riverside Value Report

Best Value Master's Degree Schools (With Aid) in the Far Western US Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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